Interview with Debra Driza

Renegade (MILA 2.0 #2)
by Debra Driza
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 13th 2014

Synopsis:

There is no one left for Mila to trust. Except for a boy she barely knows.

But Hunter has no idea who—and what—Mila really is. She can’t bear to reveal her secret, even though he’s unwittingly joined her search for Richard Grady, a man who may know more details of Mila’s complicated past.

Yet the road to the truth is more dangerous than ever. With General Holland and the Vita Obscura scouring the earth for her whereabouts, Mila must rely on her newfound android abilities to protect herself and Hunter from imminent harm. Still, embracing her identity as a machine leads her to question the state of her humanity—as well as Hunter’s real motives.

Perfect for fans of I Am Number Four and Divergent, this action-packed and heart-wrenching second installment of MILA 2.0 will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the series conclusion.

I'm the author of the MILA 2.0 series and the owner of the messiest purse on the planet, aka: the black hole of doom. I think bow ties are cool and when I grow up, I want to be Veronica Mars.

I rarely check my account at Goodreads, so if you need to get in touch with me, try twitter or Debra at debradriza.com.

Only one? MEEP. It so depends on the day. I’d say either Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh or Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. If I were in a fluffy mood, I might say Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, or a more introspective mood, then Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, and if I were in a thriller mood I might say Lightning by Dean Koontz. This is probably the right time to point out that I’m a pretty indecisive person.

Again I say—only one? I fail, because I have a whole list: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, Greek, and Breaking Bad are a few of my past favorites. Now, I love The Blacklist and Suits and Awkward! (Did I mention that I’m indecisive?)

The Matrix, American History X, Dangerous Liaisons, The Shawshank Redemption and Sliding Doors

Let Go by Frou Frou, Let the Water Take Me by Florence and the Machine, Savior by Rise Against, Blue Skies by Tori Amos/ BT, and Titanium by David Guetta and Sia

Sugar. Is that a food? Specifically, maybe…chocolate chip cookies. Perfectly cooked ones; the kind that are crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.

I know I’ll rile up all the Gale supporters with this, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Peeta. He was kind even when he knew his kindness wouldn’t go unpunished, and I think that’s pretty amazing. I also love St. Clair in Anna and the French Kiss, for his wit and sense of fun.

Right now, I love books that really capture people’s struggles to accept and appreciate themselves as worthy humans. I recently read This Song Will Save Your Life, and I think that Leila Sales did a fantastic job of exploring that theme.

I have to admit that I also Fangirl over ‘ships. I blame my mom’s closet full of romances while I was growing up for that. 

I admire so many people, that it’s impossible to single one out. But overall, I really admire people who manage to demonstrate compassion and empathy in the face of adversity. Those are the qualities that I think help make the world a better place, and I really hope I can nurture those traits in my children.

I don’t really crush on celebrities, because I don’t know them at all. I do crush on characters though, and I’ll admit that I used to have a wee bit of a thing for Spike on Buffy. Damn you, Joss.

For those who haven't watched Buffy (hope you all did), meet Spike. We can understand your crush, Debra ;)

Don’t be afraid to venture out of your preferred genre! I know I get stuck in a reading rut sometimes, and picking up a few books that are outside of my normal taste can serve as a breath of fresh air—a sort of cleansing of your reading palate, if you will.

Also—buy books with Characters of Color, written by People of Color. Everyone deserves to see themselves represented in the stories they read, and publishing won’t change unless we, the buyers, make it happen.

Hi Debra! We are really happy to host this FFBC. We are super excited to have Renegade in our FFBC. 

A teen girl discovers her entire existence is a lie--she's an experiment in military science and the government wants her back

You mean, apart from guns and explosives and government conspiracies and secret military compounds? I’m surprised Homeland Security hasn’t already targeted my household for surveillance. Or, maybe they have….

I also might have looked up “Do Androids Poop.” Just because.

Emotional Android Kicks Butt….yo? (I think I might have stayed up a bit too late, lol)

Well, that might be spoilery. My favorite scene in RENEGADE occurs near the end of the book, where…bad things happen. Apart from that, I’d say I enjoyed the chance to write a little light-hearted banter between Mila and Hunter. Let’s face it—the girl could really use a break!

You know, I am TERRIBLE at casting, because I don’t really focus on my characters’ physical attributes when I write—I’m not a very visual person, secondary I think to having crappy eyesight. I will say that I really, really loved Miles Teller in The Spectacular Now though, so I’d be thrilled if he had a part.

Thank you so much Debra for the amazing interview!